House Rules

Appreciating the rules and restrictions during Mass

05/10/2020

ACTS of the Apostles 6:1-7 As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. they presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Every family lives by certain house rules to promote its harmony and happiness. Did you know the English word “economy” comes from two Greek words, “oikos” and “nomos” which literally mean “house” and “rule”? A family’s “economy” therefore is not just a measure of its financial wealth, but originally it gauged the wealth of love and respect among its members. If you did not have any house rules, then the inmates would be running the asylum, and anarchy would rule. You would not have house rules, you would have animal house.

I still remember some of my family’s house rules when I was a child. For example, being from India, we always removed our shoes when we entered the house, as a sign of respect. That always reminded of how Moses removed his sandals as he approached the burning bush in Exodus 3 because he walked on holy ground. Every home is holy ground for the family that lives there. Each night we gathered to pray together. My mother lit two candles and we said prayers in English and Malayalam. Good thing God is bilingual, and can even under “Manglish” (like Spanglish)! Every Saturday we cleaned the house. And for some reason my job was always to clean the bathrooms. What high crimes and misdemeanors did I commit to deserve such a severe sentence? Does your family have its own economy, its own house rules, or are the inmates running your asylum?

In the Acts of the Apostles today, we see the apostles acting like good parents and establishing “house rules” regarding the basic structure of the early Church. Instead of “anarchy,” the church will be a “hierarchy” which means “the rule of priests.” So, no more cleaning bathrooms for me! The apostles declare: “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men…whom we will appoint to this task.” Those seven men became the first deacons of the Church, and elsewhere in Scriptures the Holy Spirit would inspire the Church to establish bishops and priests, and complete the three-rank hierarchy of the Church. In other words, to promote harmony and happiness in the household of the early Church, its “economy” was set up as a “hierarchy,” which could wisely measure the wealth of Christian love.

You have probably heard that Bishop Taylor has allowed parishes to celebrate public Masses starting next weekend, May 16-17. What a blessing! But to ensure everyone’s safety during this pandemic, he has given us specific and strict guidelines. I hope you will see them as blessings and not as burdens, indeed as “house rules” that promote our family’s harmony, happiness and even health. Let me highlight only three rules that may seem a little challenging and may make a few inmates want to run the asylum. We will post all the house rules on the doors of the church and social media.

First, we are only allowed to occupy 25% of the pews available in church, and the rest of the seats will be roped off. Our church seats about 500 people, so every Sunday only about 125 parishioners will be able to attend each Mass. Now, remember, the bishop has dispensed Catholics from their Sunday Mass obligation, so instead of Sunday, would you please come to Mass during the week? We have added extra Masses during the week to there’s more bread to spread the butter on: more Bread of Eternal Life to spread the People of God on! Remember the good old days when someone would always give up their seat on a crowded bus for someone else? Attending a weekday Mass instead of Sunday allows someone else to occupy your seat; someone who needs Sunday Mass more than you.

Second, everyone at Mass must wear a mask during the entire Mass. You may lower the mask, of course, when you come forward for Communion, and then immediately raise it and cover your mouth and nose. As you know, the mask does little to protect the wearer; its real purpose is to protect other people. I know the masks are uncomfortable and a nuisance, but so was the cross to Christ. Our Lord was not nailed to the cross for his benefit, but for ours. He suffered for us. Every Christian who wears a mask during this pandemic is performing a concrete act of love of neighbor. The mask is a sign of our “economy” which measures the wealth of our love for each other.

Third, please stay home if you are feeling sick, or if you have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, or if you are in the so-called “vulnerable population,” meaning someone over 65, or have underlying health problems, especially respiratory ailments. The hard part of this rule is that the “vulnerable population” is exactly the group of people who most want to come to Mass! They know their ticket is about to be punched and they want to make sure they have a ticket! When the bishop announced the public Masses starting, I immediately called my parents to tell them to stay home. Can you believe that any self-respecting priest would tell his parents NOT to go to Mass? That must be exactly how the bishop feels having to tell any Catholic not to receive the Eucharist. And yet, that is another sign of the health of our household economy, which measures the wealth of our love.

Every healthy household has wise and loving house rules. That is the deepest sense of the “economy” of a home because it measures the love of its members. Some rules mean we have to clean the bathroom; some rules require us to serve as deacons; some rules restrict us from coming to Mass as we wish. But all healthy homes have rules, otherwise, the inmates would be running the asylum, and you wouldn’t have house rules, you would have animal house.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Technology's Red Line

Understanding the role of the body in the liturgy

04/29/2020

1 Cor. 7:32, 34 Brothers and sisters, an unmarried man can devote himself to the Lord’s affairs, all he need worry about is pleasing the Lord. In the same way an unmarried woman, like a young girl, can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all she need worry about is being holy in body and spirit.

My older brother works in information technology and we’ve had lots of talks lately about the benefits of technology during this pandemic. Being my older brother, he not only asks me hard questions, he also loves to push my buttons. He’s a little like that annoying toddler who keeps asking, “Why?” because he knows how much that really irritates me. At one point in our conversation recently, I had to put my priestly foot down and insist that there’s a bright red line that technology cannot cross when it comes to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. That is, technology can support the celebration of the sacraments (like live-streamed Masses, and this Evening Prayer), but it cannot completely substitute for them. That would be the point where my brother would chime in with “Why?” I was tempted to reply angrily: “Because I said so!” But I didn’t do that, because after all, he’s my older brother and could also beat me up.

I tried to explain the reasoning behind that red line in a couple of different ways. For instance, I said that all human beings are composite beings of body and soul. We need the body for all we do, especially the sacraments, like confession. The priest’s body has to be near the penitent’s body; no forgiveness by phone call. My brother just yawned at that. Then, I tried another tack saying that Jesus’ Incarnation means he’s truly God but also truly man, with a human body. Jesus’ crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension all happened to his body until it was glorified. Similarly, Jesus wants to save not only our souls but also our bodies, until they are glorified. At this point, my brother was almost asleep.

That’s when I decided to hit below the belt, (quite literally). I said: “Well, just like technology cannot take your place when you consummate your marriage with your wife, so technology cannot replace our Communion with Christ. Both instances intimately involve the human body.” He suddenly woke up and exclaimed, “I finally get it!” In other words, there are certain human activities that can only be performed by both body and soul, and no amount of technology, no matter how much it advances, will ever replace it. Sacramentally-speaking, a “consummation” is precisely what happens at the Mass when we receive Holy Communion: Jesus’ Body in the Sacred Host becomes one with our bodies. The two become one. As Hamlet said, “Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished!”

1 Corinthians 7 is an optional reading for Evening Prayer for the Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena. St. Paul instructs the Corinthians about the value of celibacy in our relationship with the Lord. He compares and contrasts celibacy to marriage, writing: “The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord,” and he says something similar about the unmarried woman. The celibate woman wants to please the Lord. Now, don’t misunderstand Paul’s point. Paul is not saying that marriage is bad and celibacy is good. If you think that, just read Ephesians 5:32. Why? Well, in both Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 7, Paul insists that marriage provides the perfect framework, context and analogy, to help us see our relationship with Jesus is ultimately a marital one, which was precisely my point to my brother. My brother would agree we should keep technology out of the bedroom, and I would add also out of the sanctuary. Technology can support the work of the liturgy but it cannot replace it.

This brief comparison between marriage and the Mass not only reinforces the limits of technology (technology’s red line), but it also reveals a litmus test of our faith. How so? Well, how much do we long for the Eucharist? Do we desire to become one body with our Lord in Holy Communion as much as spouses long to make love, where the two become one flesh? The answer may not be as obvious as you think. For some Catholics this sabbatical from the sacraments has been a long Lent, a painful purgatory. Those Catholics cannot wait to get back to Mass and consummate their love for Christ.

But I fear that other Catholics may have gotten quite comfortable on their couch, watching Mass on television, dressed in pajamas, sipping on their Caramel Macchiato Frappuccino Baldochino. When we compare the Mass to marriage, when we see the deep link between Communion and consummation, when we make the connection between making love and making liturgy, we begin to see not only how wrong-headed, but ultimately also how sinful, is the attitude to miss Sunday Mass.

I cannot wait to have another deep conversation with my older brother especially over technology. It will probably be painful, but it will probably also teach me a lot. Maybe that’s a good way to look at this pandemic as well: it is painful but also pedagogical; it is teaching us a lot. This pandemic has highlighted technology’s bright red line in our sacramental life, and taught us how much Jesus, the Bridegroom loves us, and how much we, his Bride, have to go to love him in return.

Praised be Jesus Christ!